Review & Giveaway - - The Stranger I Wed

The Stranger I Wed

by Harper St. George

The Doves of New York - Book 1

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: April 23, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

 

Cora Dove and her sisters’ questionable legitimacy has been the lifelong subject of New York’s gossipmongers and a continual stain on their father’s reputation. So when the girls each receive a generous, guilt-induced dowry from their dying grandmother, the sly Mr. Hathaway vows to release their funds only if Cora and her sisters can procure suitable husbands—far from New York. For Cora, England is a fresh start. She has no delusions of love, but a husband who will respect her independence? That’s an earl worth fighting for.

Enter: Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, a no-nonsense member of Parliament whose plan to pass a Public Health bill that would provide clean water to the working class requires the backing of a wealthy wife.  He just never expected to crave Cora’s touch or yearn to hear her thoughts on his campaign—or to discover that his seemingly perfect bride protects so many secrets...

But secrets have a way of bubbling to the surface, and Devonworth has a few of his own. With their pasts laid bare and Cora’s budding passion for women’s rights taking a dangerous turn, they’ll learn the true cost of losing their heart to a stranger—and that love is worth any price.

PJ's Thoughts:

A promising start to Harper St. George’s new series about three American sisters and their British journeys to love…or not. It’s an interesting take on the American dollar princesses who were typically the adored, legitimate daughters of industry icons, not the cast aside illegitimate daughters of a member of one of New York’s wealthiest, founding families and his (also cast aside) mistress.

First up is eldest sister, Cora, an opinionated feminist, protective of her younger sisters, wary of love, and needing to marry a peer in order to obtain an inheritance from the grandmother who shunned her in life. Enter Leo, the Earl of Devonworth, a peer with a concern for the lower classes, a need for money, protective of his family and, oh yes, also wary of love. What follows is a slow-burn marriage of convenience that had me cheering these two on to their hard-earned, well-deserved, happily ever after…after negotiating more than a few road blocks along the way. 

St. George brings the Gilded Age to life in this book (as well as her previous series). In fact, a few of the main characters from the earlier series have pivotal roles in this one. I enjoy the setting, especially the emergence of women in more visible public roles (though suffrage is still considered a radical movement and can be a dangerous enterprise). One of the things that endeared Leo to me was how respectful he was of Cora’s opinions and how they worked together on his speeches to Parliament. Of course, he’s also very concerned about her safety which leads to a few confrontations but, as with any relationship, it’s a work in progress. I enjoyed the slow burn of their romance, how the desire and depth of feelings gradually evolved from partners to friends to much, much more. It felt very authentic, especially considering past events in each of their lives. 

I’m eager to discover what the author has in store for Cora’s two younger sisters as well as their somewhat unpredictable mother. I’ll be looking forward to books two and three with eager anticipation.

Have you read Harper St. George yet?

Do you enjoy Gilded Age romances? Do you have a preference between those set in the U.S. and those in England? 

One randomly chosen person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, April 26 will receive a print copy of The Stranger I Wed.

*U.S. only

*Must be 18